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Alex Viner

Consistency, and thoughts on being human (2026 Week 2 Coffee Thoughts)

Coffee-Thoughts

Consistency, and thoughts on being human (2026 Week 2 Coffee Thoughts)

Consistency… so subtle yet so important… it’s a word to live by - midnight thought Learn to identify people who are an emotionally safe space for you, and those who are not - mid-driving thought We need to get comfortable going against the grain in life, yet have the

Books, Fear, Ego, and Transition States (2026 Week 1 Coffee Thoughts)

Coffee-Thoughts

Books, Fear, Ego, and Transition States (2026 Week 1 Coffee Thoughts)

Some books just have to be read twice. The first read is for letting things seep into your subconscious. The second read is for further exploring what previously resonated with you, but from a standpoint of already being primed by the ideas. This is likely the optimal time for taking

Why We Are So Disconnected From Others—and How We Can Reconnect (Loneliness Part III)

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Why We Are So Disconnected From Others—and How We Can Reconnect (Loneliness Part III)

Personally, I’ve found connection with others to be the hardest sphere of connection to develop. This is partially because it’s the sphere least within our control. It requires more than one entity, which adds a layer of complexity and nuance. Yet, it’s arguably the most important for

Coffee-Thoughts

No such thing as a “boring” subject

I’d argue that learning any subject can be interesting. Most often, it’s the shitty way we’re taught, a lack of diverse resources, and/or lacking the opportunity to tangibly apply what’s learnt that causes a subject to be “boring”.

Coffee-Thoughts

In Need of Courageous Honesty

Imagine if mostly everyone expressed their feelings and intentions, both verbally and bodily, more clearly towards each others. Wouldn't that make interactions so much more fruitful? We'd know where we stand with others. We'd weather more rejection, at the benefit of wasting less time.

In praise of the early morning: Why and how you should wake up early

In praise of the early morning: Why and how you should wake up early

Imagine this, you’ve just gotten out of bed, walked downstairs in the dark, and poured yourself a cold glass of water with a bit of lemon juice. As you sip, you silently gaze into the soft flames of sunrise. Alternatively, imagine you wake up and light is already beaming

Coffee-Thoughts

A Repelled Society

It’s crazy how we crave, and will go to great lengths—and pay—to vacation away from our own human infrastructure and journey back into nature. Says a lot about the state of the modern human condition. -Post canoe camping thought

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Frozen Lake Social Analogy

I was talking with my mom the other day about shallow vs. deep conversations, and uncovered quite a beautiful analogy that I wanted to share. In this analogy, a frozen lake embodies socialization. Small talk and light interactions are like skating on it’s icy surface. Whereas, deeper and more

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Capability & Responsibility

Your mind and body are capable of so much more than you may think. It just requires a willingness to take responsibility in finding out. - midway through a 16 km run around the lake

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Working Body vs. Mind

Isn’t it weird how working our body tends to free our mind and body. Yet, when we work our minds, it tends to make our bodies restless, and occasionally our minds as well. It’s as if evolution doesn’t want us to think too hard. * Thoughts while reading

Why We Are So Disconnected From Ourselves—and How we can Reconnect (Loneliness Part II)

Why We Are So Disconnected From Ourselves—and How we can Reconnect (Loneliness Part II)

When we are disconnected from ourselves, navigating through the world requires a painful amount of effort, as if wading through molasses. This lack of self-connection can reveal itself in countless ways. You may avoid committing to specific pursuits, or continually fail in carrying out promises to yourself. You might be

Overcoming Intellectual Melancholy: Reducing FOMO & perceived high opportunity cost of intellectual pursuits

Overcoming Intellectual Melancholy: Reducing FOMO & perceived high opportunity cost of intellectual pursuits

The Melancholy In order to study reality on a fundamental level, you have to be disconnected from it for prolonged periods of time. I often feel like the opportunity cost is too high: the time sacrifice, solitude, time away from connecting with people and nature, or from building and making

How I Take Beautiful STEM Notes on a Samsung Tablet

How I Take Beautiful STEM Notes on a Samsung Tablet

I’ve been taking notes on a tablet for over 4 years now. I bought a Samsung Tab S7 in my senior year of high-school, and never looked back. Since then, I’ve developed a series of note taking habits that allow me to create organized and visually appealing notes,

What is loneliness? How can we define it? (Loneliness Part I)

What is loneliness? How can we define it? (Loneliness Part I)

We all feel disconnected at some point in our lives. Whether that be with ourselves, with nature, with the humans around us, or with a general purpose. The ironic struggle of the modern age is that we’re “exposed” to everything and everyone more than ever, via our technology, yet

What I learned from my first heartbreak

What I learned from my first heartbreak

Alain de Botton once said “he wouldn’t wish heartbreak even upon his worst enemy”. Heartbreak is a death, of a future, a self, and a perspective. It’s usually accompanied by a betrayal of trust or loyalty by the very person closest to you. It’s one of the

What I learned from my third year as a Physics Major

What I learned from my third year as a Physics Major

I recently finished my 3rd year as a physics major. This school year was one filled with many difficult, yet valuable lessons. From re-integrating after a summer of backpacking, my first heartbreak, a deep sense of loneliness, adding a double-major… etc. As usual, a table of contents is given down

Coffee-Thoughts

Planting Seeds

You can't make realizations for other people. They have to make them for themselves. You can attempt planting a seed, but it will only grow once the conditions are right within them. Often, you won't be present when those favourable conditions arise. That's why

Lessons from a Peruvian Adventure

Lessons from a Peruvian Adventure

I recently got back from a backpacking trip to Peru that gave me a variety of new insights into life. There’s an unfathomable amount of variety and diversity in Peru, from vast environmental biomes to a broad socioeconomic spectrum. I got to experience just a little bit of what

What I learned from my second year as a Physics Major

What I learned from my second year as a Physics Major

My personal experience, course breakdown, study & life lessons

Micro-Scale CIWP: Optimizing for Movement

Micro-Scale CIWP: Optimizing for Movement

Intro Ben Greenfield a health expert and influential biohacker, who I admire, has an assortment of useful practices he implements to increase movement in your work routine. Some of these practices I have adapted in conjunction with my own experience and are given in this article. If you would like

The need for a change in work philosophy, practices, and environments

The need for a change in work philosophy, practices, and environments

One of the things that baffles me about the present day is how many people have to deal with a job or profession that actively sucks them of their life force. In a day where the largest collection of knowledge ever attainable is at our finger tips. Doesn’t that

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Ratio of studying to living reality

"I don’t like the idea of spending more time studying my reality than actually living it" - Post 4 hour math practice

Culminating Presence

Culminating Presence

Tactics I've used to help develop my ability to be more present.

Coffee-Thoughts

Envy

"When you're not doing the best you can, you envy those who are" - Post coffee me + shower thoughts

What I learned from my first year as a Physics Major

What I learned from my first year as a Physics Major

My personal interest, experience, and general tips for university.